American by birth, Scots-Irish by DNA

[GG]

Greetings To All. After three quarters of a century, I've decided to show my colors and claim my kilt. I am looking for advice on kilt-makers, the best quality kilt for reasonable prices, and what to look for and what to avoid. I'm not out to buy the most expensive thing that I can find, but I have learned that cheap is usually not the least expensive, it often costs much more. I will be appreciative of any advice that people like yourselves, who not only 'talk the talk, but who walk the walk', can give to me.

Hi George, and welcome.

What to buy where? It depends very much upon when and where and in which context you are planning to wear your kilt. With three quarters of a century behind you, I suppose, you are not thinking of wearing your kilt to job. If you have in mind wearing it when invited out to formal events, you should go for a high-quality (and expensive) kilt, especially if the evening suits, you should otherwise have worn, are labelled Boss, Zegna, Armani or the like.
If not, or you just/mainly want to wear a kilt when out and about or when travelling, visiting museums of modern art or going to the theatre, opera house or concert hall, you [i]must[i] not spend a fortune on a kilt. Come in mind, practically only people here – and the kilt police – know how an expensive, high quality, hand stitched kilt shall exactly look like.

Most people are not interested in quality at all. They go for thrifty jeans, shirts, shoes and you name it.

Then there is a group who knows the value of a Rolex, Philip Patek or Omega watch and a Mercedes Benz. But these people cannot tell if a kilt has cost you 100 Dollars or 1.000. To them, the only special – and perhaps meaningful - is that you are wearing a kilt. If you wear shirts with a discrete logo from Ralph Lauren or Tommy Hilfiger or above-mentioned brands, they will think a cheap kilt has been more expensive than an expensive one combined with something they suppose comes from H&M.

Of course, cheap can be too cheap to also look good.
Living in the US, I should suggest USA Kilts. If not for formal wear, their USA Kilts Casual is excellent. Also St. Kilda in Scotland makes extremely good casual kilts as well as rather inexpensive wool kilts. Kilt Society in Edinburgh is also a possibility. They are back after 2-3 years away from the market. It looks like everything is as before.

Even good (some are not) Pakistani kilts are a possibility and shall not fall apart. But sewing precision and especially fabric are not up to good Scottish or American made kilts. I have worn kilts for over 25 years by now and during the last 15-16 years almost daily. Therefore, I have kilts mainly for the garden, kilts for shopping grocery and driving to the DIY market, kilts for hiking, travelling and going sightseeing. Most of them, even the cheaper ones from Pakistan, I could, in fact, also wear to Michelin-restaurants and the concert hall without problems. The reason, I don’t, is that I have better kilts for that.

I also think, YOU shall soon want more than one kilt and for various purposes and therefore in different price classes. Main problem, where to start?